Reading Practice
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Bovids
A
The family of mammals called
bovids belongs to the Artiodactyl class, which also includes giraffes. Bovids
are a highly diverse group consisting of 137 species, some of which are man’s
most important domestic animals.
B
Bovids are well represented in
most parts of Eurasia and Southeast Asian islands, but they are by far the most
numerous and diverse in the latter Some species of bovid are solitary, but
others live in large groups with complex social structures. Although bovids
have adapted to a wide range of habitats, from arctic tundra to deep tropical
forest, the majority of species favour open grassland, scrub or desert. This
diversity of habitat is also matched by great diversity in size and form: at
one extreme is the royal antelope of West Africa, which stands a mere 25 cm at
the shoulder; at the other, the massively built bison of North America and
Europe, growing to a shoulder height of 2.2m.
C
Despite differences in size and
appearance, bovids are united by the possession of certain common features. All
species are ruminants, which means that they retain undigested food in their
stomachs, and regurgitate it as necessary. Bovids are almost exclusively
herbivorous: plant-eating “incisors: front teeth herbivorous”.
D
Typically their teeth are highly
modified for browsing and grazing: grass or foliage is cropped with the upper
lip and lower incisors** (the upper incisors are usually absent), and then
ground down by the cheek teeth. As well as having cloven, or split, hooves, the
males of ail bovid species and the females of most carry horns. Bovid horns
have bony cores covered in a sheath of horny material that is constantly
renewed from within; they are unbranched and never shed. They vary in shape and
size: the relatively simple horns of a large Indian buffalo may measure around
4 m from tip to tip along the outer curve, while the various gazelles have
horns with a variety of elegant curves.
E
Five groups, or sub-families, may
be distinguished: Bovinae, Antelope, Caprinae, Cephalophinae and
Antilocapridae. The sub-family Bovinae comprises most of the larger bovids,
including the African bongo, and nilgae, eland, bison and cattle. Unlike most
other bovids they are all non-territorial. The ancestors of the various species
of domestic cattle banteng, gaur, yak and water buffalo are generally rare and
endangered in the wild, while the auroch (the ancestor of the domestic cattle
of Europe) is extinct.
F
The term ‘antelope is not a very
precise zoological name – it is used to loosely describe a number of bovids
that have followed different lines of development. Antelopes are typically
long-legged, fast-running species, often with long horns that may be laid along
the back when the animal is in full flight. There are two main sub-groups of
antelope: Hippotraginae, which includes the oryx and the addax, and
Antilopinae, which generally contains slighter and more graceful animals such
as gazelle and the springbok. Antelopes are mainly grassland species, but many
have adapted to flooded grasslands: pukus, waterbucks and lechwes are all good
at swimming, usually feeding in deep water, while the sitatunga has long,
splayed hooves that enable it to walk freely on swampy ground.
G
The sub-family Caprinae includes
the sheep and the goat, together with various relatives such as the goral and
the tahr. Most are woolly or have long hair. Several species, such as wild
goats, chamois and ibex, are agile cliff – and mountain-dwellers. Tolerance of
extreme conditions is most marked in this group: Barbary and bighorn sheep have
adapted to arid deserts, while Rocky Mountain sheep survive high up in
mountains and musk oxen in arctic tundra.
H
The duiker of Africa belongs to
the Cephalophinae sub-family. It is generally small and solitary, often living in
thick forest. Although mainly feeding on grass and leaves, some duikers –
unlike most other bovids – are believed to eat insects and feed on dead animal
carcasses, and even to kill small animals.
I
The pronghorn is the sole
survivor of a New World sub-family of herbivorous ruminants, the Antilocapridae
in North America. It is similar in appearance and habits to the Old World
antelope. Although greatly reduced in numbers since the arrival of Europeans,
and the subsequent enclosure of grasslands, the pronghorn is still found in
considerable numbers throughout North America, from Washington State to Mexico.
When alarmed by the approach of wolves or other predators, hairs on the
pronghorn’s rump stand erect, so showing and emphasizing the white patch there.
At this signal, the whole herd gallops off at speed of over 60 km per hour.
Questions 1-3
Choose the correct letter, A, B,
C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.
1 In which region is the
biggest range of bovids to be found?
A
Africa
B
Eurasia
C
North America
D
South-east Asia
2 Most bovids have a
preference for living in
A
isolation
B
small groups
C
tropical forest
D
wide open spaces
3 Which of the following
features do all bovids have in common?
A
Their horns are shot
B
They have upper incisors
C
They store food in the body
D Their
hooves are undivided
Questions 4-8
Look at the following
characteristics (Questions 4-8) and
the list of sub-families below.
Match each characteristic with
the correct sub-family, A, B, C
or D.
Write
the correct letter, A, B, C
or D, in boxes 4-8 on your answer sheet.
NB You may
use any letter more than once
4..................... can
endure very harsh environments
5.....................
includes the ox and the cow
6..................... may
supplement its diet with meat
7..................... can
usually move a speed
8..................... does
not defend a particular area of land
List
of sub-families
A
Antelope
B
Bovinae
C
Caprinae
D
Cephalophinae
Questions 9-13
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write
your answers in boxes 9-13 on your
answer sheet.
9
What is the smallest species of Bovid called?9.....................
10
Which species of Bovinae hos now died out?10.....................
11
What facilitates the movement of the sitatunga
over wetland?11.....................
12
What sort of terrain do barbary sheep live in?12.....................
13
What is the only living member of the
Antilocapridae sub-family?13.....................
Solution:
1. D 8. B
2. D 9. (the)
royal antelope
3. C 10. (the)
auroch
4. C 11. long,
splayed hooves
5. B 12. arid
deserts
6. D 13. (the)
pronghorn
7. A
PASSWORD: REALEXAMIELTS
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